


Sparks in your eyes

by DwarfOfManyJourneys



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha Kyoutani Kentarou, Alpha Watari Shinji, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angry Kissing, Kyotani approves, Kyoutani is so precious, M/M, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Yahaba Shigeru, Self-Doubt, Tags will be updated, Yahaba is an angry kid, Yahaba senior's A+ Parenting, courting, mentions of karasuno - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2018-12-20 02:24:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11911242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DwarfOfManyJourneys/pseuds/DwarfOfManyJourneys
Summary: Kyotani lived for the fight.One day he found a kindred soul in seemingly bland Yahaba.Can two angry boys find love and respect in each other?





	1. A glimpse behind the mask

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what to say, Kyohaba deserves more love.  
> I feel like most recent fics are either filled with pairings (which is nice, but hard to read if you want to read a specific pairing) or chatfics (which can be nice, but mostly feel forced and without plot, sorry...)  
> So I tried... well, could be worse I guess ^^
> 
> Have fun :)

Aoba Josai High School was known for many things. Their sport clubs were remarkably successful, the acceptance rate for college was exceptionally high and the captain of the powerhouse volleyball team was an omega.

Kyoutani knew those things when he enrolled and thought nothing of it, he came to play volleyball with strong players and if an omega was declared captain, he needed to be the strongest, right?

Reality felt different, because Oikawa Tooru was a flirty, flamboyant drama queen and nobody in their right mind should have made him captain with Iwaizumi next to him.

He voiced his opinion exactly one time and after Iwaizumi was through with him, he decided to take a leave from the team until the upperclassmen left for good.

 

Apparently he miscalculated, but confronted with Oikawa and his favourite kohai Yahaba _fucking_ Shigeru (that bland, demure, pretty, omegan, asshole setter) he could not back down, leading up to that mind-blowing match against Karasuno.

Kyoutani always knew he'd present as an alpha.

He was stubborn, hot-blooded and felt the itch to fight - to prove himself- all his life.

And boy, this match was a wet dream come true: that annoying bald crow certainly knew how to enjoy a good competition and their ace was nothing to sneeze at, the samurai guy's presence looming over them and for once Kyoutani felt respect for someone aside their own respective ace. (Maybe it was an ace thing? That one owl guy was intense as well, if a bit moody.)

It got his blood pumping.

And what the fuck happened then?

Sure, his temper got the best of him (again) and he may have pushed some weaklings around (again), but the moment he was off the court, he felt even more agitated - even more on fire.

He could feel the other team members shuffle away from him as he gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes at the game. Those were his balls to call, his kills, _his enemies to crush, HIS!_ And as he stood there seething, the world decided to tilt and give him a glimpse of something else.

Kyoutani was used to aggressive alphas and _a bit_ of hand-to-hand with some of them, but when the slender hands of that shallow fucker grabbed him and threw him into a wall, his mind could only find one word:

 **Perfection**.

Yahaba’s eyes, which he would formerly describe as muddy old brown, held a barely contained fire and something inside Kyoutani wanted to reach out and let himself be consumed.

Under all that pristine exterior - those perfectly coiffed silvery tresses - was not the nice, boring omega doll one would expect but a _battle-proved_ _fighter_ , as Aoba Josai’s Mad Dog could tell from the way his shoulders were immobilized and the way the setter positioned his feet.

A primal part of him reared its head and shivered with need - need to prove himself, need to conquer, need to consume - and he managed to ground out "I thought you were a shallow guy."

Yahaba took a step back and averted his eyes as he nonchalantly agreed, betraying his own words again to threaten the wing spiker on behalf of his senpai.

Kyoutani’s alpha side felt equally aroused and offended, mind set firmly on the task at hand: crush the crows, destroy, conquer, consume.

The ride back was bitter.

 

After their defeat they all trickled back into their gym, tears dried and shoulders squared, where the third years gave one last feedback and reality hit them as they had just played their last match with the upperclassmen before graduation.

As most left (Kindaichi led an exhausted and half-asleep Kunimi out, while Matsukawa and Hanamaki left oddly silent, hands clasped tightly together) Oikawa separated from Iwaizumi and hooked his arm under Yahaba’s, steering him away from the rest and talking softly with a voice hoarse from crying.

"He groomed Yahaba to be his successor."

He nearly jumped with surprise as Watari appeared next to him. He eyed the often overlooked alpha for a moment and let his gaze wander back to the pair of setters across the gym. "The fuck you want?" he growled, not too unfriendly, because the libero was by far the most tolerable of the lot (Were they a pack? Shit, _was he part of that pack_?) and the shorter male grinned, nodding his head a bit.

"You'll be the next ace, so I guess I want to make sure you two can work together." The quiet laughter, that normally accompanied him, left as his face grew serious.

"If you're gonna be a dick about him being an omega or pull some-" Kyoutani shook his head and turned to leave.

 "I won't."

The libero seemed surprised and relieved. "That's good to hear. Please lend us your strength again next year."

Kyoutani scoffed and finally left.

 

"Whatever."


	2. This fight is mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoutani gets to meet the interesting guy again

The following weeks were... confusing.

 

Oikawa nominated Yahaba for the captains position and everyone agreed solemnly (Kyoutani earned a few glances, but even he could see that Yahaba was just as observant as Oikawa though with his own distinct style).

The team (and as he came to grudgingly accept: the pack) stayed after school to watch the Nationals, commenting on elaborate plays and discussing mistakes, sometimes accompanied by a praise for a team, though for some reason Yahaba tended to defend his opinion even more vehemently when he felt Kyotani‘s eyes on him.

 

Not that Kyoutani cared.

 

He didn't.

(That primal part of him liked the other’s need to gain his approval. Which was probably not what Yahaba was doing.)

 

"Hey pretty thing, walking alone?"

Kyoutani stopped right before the corner and caught a glimpse of three alphas from the track team rounding up on his captain, who looked less than impressed.

Kyoutani worried his bottom lip weighing his options:

  1. He could swoop in, rescue the omega and probably have a nice little fight



or 2. He could let the scene play out and maybe the interesting spitfire made an appearance again. He unconsciously licked his lips.

Option 2 it was.

 

From this angle he could observe how the setter widened his stance and took his bag in his right hand, raising his left in front of his chest defensively. (Good choice, his inner alpha commented.)

As the alphas shared a laugh over his reaction, his eyes blazed to life with all-consuming rage and to Kyotani’s delight, he stroke first.

 He swung the straps of his bag around the first's arm, taking it down with the weight, following with his left elbow to the throat.

As their friend went down, the other two snarled and grabbed at him, releasing their pheromones to tell him to submit. (Fuck no, his inner alpha growled. The only one he should submit to is-)

 

Yahaba laughed.

 

Not the bell-like light giggle he used in class or around others. It was sharp as glass, cold as ice and downright filthy.

"You need to do better than that, fuckers."

Kyoutani shivered in arousal. (His, _his_ , **his** to fight!)

 

The omega was clearly outnumbered and though he was quite tall, he still had a lithe build and the two buffoons were still in the mind-set of having an easy target.

Yahaba caught his gaze and Kyoutani stood in awe as a myriad of emotions swirled in those amber orbs - surprise, shame, anger, defensiveness, fury - as the setter sprang into action, evading the two alphas, rounding them and kicking the backside of their knees, fingers unrelenting grabbing their hair.

Kyoutani held his breath to understand the softly spoken words of (his, _his_ , **his** ) Yahaba.

"This never happened, right? You were never beaten by a _lowly_ _omega_. One you couldn't even dominate."

He let them go with one last shove and took his bag, brushing by Kyoutani and not looking back, head held high.

As he slid down the wall, he could still hear the groaning of the attackers, the blood rushing through his ears and he knew (if that boner wasn't enough of a clue) that he was hopelessly and utterly fucked.

That night, he finally gave into his urges and he violently came into his own hand, the image of feral amber eyes and slender hands in his hair never leaving his mind.

 

The next days were... trying.

Kyoutani made a point to attend every practise, the last pat on his shoulder from Iwaizumi still fresh in mind, practising his serves or attack patterns with Kindaichi, Kunimi and Yahaba, who acted completely normal (boring) and looked him in the eye with a bland look and false cheerfulness.

Confused and out of his depth Kyoutani went to the one person who should understand: Watari.

The libero stood at the bench, gulping down water and greeted him with an exhausted grin, towel around his shoulders.

Kyoutani balled his fists and averted his eyes.

"I have questions."

Blue eyes examined him, his posture, before the shorter alpha shrugged and nodded towards the open door. "Sure."

 

He waved at someone and stepped out of the gym, shielding his eyes against the sun, waiting for the blonde to start.

"The fuck is wrong with him? I saw him-"

"There is nothing wrong with the way he is. I thought you of all people would understand his fighting spirit."

Smile vanished, Watari now sported a frown, crossing his arms and looking every bit disappointed.

Kyoutani felt his ears burn and balled his fists, nails digging into flesh.

"That's not... I mean that two goody shoes part!"

They stood in awkward silence, the sound of shoes and volleyballs behind them. Watari picked at his towel, not meeting his eyes.

"It's complicated and not really my place to tell. Let's just say his parents have certain expectations for him."

They heard Yahaba calling the team together and both returned to the gym, Watari a step in front of him already back to his cheery self.

 

For the rest of the day, Kyoutani kept brooding and the team stayed clear of him.


	3. Dance with me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yahaba needs no help. But Kyoutani does not like to share.

It took another three incidents like the first one with the track team to spur Kyoutani to action.

 

From experience he estimated Yahaba’s limit to be 4, maybe 5 opponents, but this time they got backup.

Kyoutani had sought refuge on a fire exit staircase to get away from everything and so far no one had looked up and found him, but with the approaching dunderheads it was just a matter of time.

Yahaba had already taken some hits, still grinning like a madman and not once falling into omegan behaviour (What a proud creature, what a worthy prey).

Still, Kyoutani knew he had to make a decision.

 

"Hey bitch, submit and we give you some nice knots to fill you up, you like that right?" Raucous laughter followed as they closed in on the omega, which bared its teeth and snarled back. "None of you could hope to beat me; a fight won by number is not won at all!"

They blinked no comprehending, but Kyoutani's inner alpha purred proudly as he jumped over the railing down beside Yahaba, shocking everybody and meeting his captain’s glare with equal force.

"I don't need some alpha to-"

 

The backup arrived and Yahaba's voice trailed off, his stance widening a bit, keeping his body closer to the ground. (Better for defence against wild swings and kicks, a wise choice, his inner alpha stated proudly.)

Kyoutani cracked his knuckles as he zeroed in on that fucker that dared to preposition the (his) omega.

"Enough for both of us."

His words were met by a light crackle.

 

Then they moved.

 

It felt like a dance, except Kyoutani did not know how to dance and he certainly knew how to fight.

But Yahaba, _oh_ , Yahaba was a dancer, a shadow, a knife in the dark as they made their way through idiots with pumped up muscles and no efficient way to use them.

It felt natural to fight alongside each other, so different and yet just the same as on the court. They reached the next corner and could have easily escaped.

Could have.

 

But without even a need to confirm both went back at their pursuers, who lost their will to fight as two feral boys with glinting eyes charged at them.

In a matter of seconds they were alone at the scene. With heavy breathing both sunk to the ground, tending to a few scrapes and grinning from ear to ear.

With a sign, Yahaba stood and collected his bag, patting himself down to get the dust out of his clothes, his mask slowly sliding back into place.

"I like the fighting you better."

 

With a groan Kyoutani stood as well and turned to the setter, who had frozen in place, a deprecated smile on his lips.

"Newsflash: You're the only one. No one wants an omega like me."

A growl came from Kyoutani's chest and he immediately stood in his space, noses nearly touching and his gaze solely on Yahaba's eyes.

 

"Says who?"

 

His voice dropped down an octave and he could see Yahaba's pupils dilating, though he frowned down on him.

"How about my parents and just about everyone? Not all of us a lucky enough to be a stereotype and get away with it." He didn't budge an inch, but the look in his eyes began to vanish again and Kyoutani knew his next words would decide everything between them.

 

If he had been talking to some dainty omega, maybe he would mince his words, but _this_ _was_ _Yahaba_.

"I'm no fucking stereotype, asshole. I don't give a fuck what your crappy parents think or what your precious society wants. What do you want?"

There was no space left between them and since they (sadly) had no wall to press against, they leaned against each other, sharing their breath.

Yahaba's eyes were nearly black with want as he let out a shaky breath, mind probably running in overdrive.

 

Yahaba Shigeru was no idiot.

They shared a few classes and Kyoutani knew he could connect the dots.

They both could feel the pull towards each other.

 

"Shigeru, what do you want?"

And they may not yet be ready for the big steps, but there was _something_ and Kyoutani was no cowards and neither was Yahaba.

 

"Shigeru."

With a growl Yahaba fisted the fabric of his shirt and threw him against the next wall, only to be back in his space before Kyoutani could catch his breath.

"If you don't want this, you should stop me now." In response the wing spiker cupped his face with his hand and tried to flip them over, only to find he couldn't as Yahaba put his hands beside his head against the wall and swooped in for a kiss.

 

Oh, but what a kiss!

A battle of tongues, hands roaming and too much heat between them.

They shoved each other, Yahaba's back hit the wall, hands sneaked under shirts and it was still not enough. Kyoutani licked his way to the omega's scent glands, drinking in the heady scent and the small noises the taller could not keep in.

 

He growled in delight. "Let me court you, fucker."

Nimble fingers carded through his hair and pulled harshly, making him groan against the other’s collarbone. "Earn it, asshole."

 

A sudden beeping noise made them pause, foreheads pressed against each other and short breaths between them.

"That's your phone." Kyoutani managed with a rough voice, reigning in his instincts as he let go, already missing the other boy's warmth.

Yahaba looked close to pain, fists at his sides as he hid his eyes behind his bangs and rummaged through his bag, clearing his throat before answering.

 

"Yahaba Shigeru speaking... yes sir. I was in a study group and- ...yes sir. I'll be on my way."

With calm demeanour he packed his stuff and shouldered his bag, before turning to the quiet alpha, his eyes still holding some spark.

"My father summoned me. I'm _afraid_ I have to go." Kyoutani scoffed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, leading the way back to the school yard.

 

"Afraid? Of what?"

Yahaba gave an irritated sound and gave him a glare.

"Him? My family is old-fashioned, I'm expected to marry some important guy and be a pretty face, not a person. Sadly, I'm dependent on him and his money, so no way out, I guess. Not until I get a scholarship and I'm not good enough for that, so fat chance in hell I‘ll ever escape."

Kyoutani frowned deeply and pulled his shoulders up, mulling over his words until they had to part ways.

 

"I'll earn it."

His words held no connection to their last topic, but he expected the setter to get the reference to his own challenge. Yahaba stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around.

"That was- No, if my father finds out-" Kyoutani scowled at him and started to walk home.

 

"I don't care for him. I care for you. I'll earn it."

 

Behind him he could hear the indignant spluttering of the omega.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your kind words and kudos^^ I hope this chapter meets your expectations.  
> (Though I'm cockblocking them. Get used to it :P)


	4. He's not like that

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yahaba has a lot on his plate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long. D:  
> Work's been a mess and I didn't like the way the story moved from last chapter onward so I wanted to add a bit more insight on Yahaba's part and... well, it took too long. -.-  
> I hope you like the way it turned out, I feel a lot better now :)

Yahaba's head was still spinning as he opened the front door and he took a deep breath to steel himself, posture rigid as he called out. "I'm home." ( _This is not home._ )

His mother, a quiet omega woman with lifeless eyes, welcomed him with a nod and droned on.

"He's in his study."

Yahaba gave a curt nod back and marched down the corridor, knocking sharply against the dark wooden door.

"Come in."

The voice of his father was cold as always, but full of command nonetheless.

Yahaba gritted his teeth, but smoothed his face back to a neutral mask, ready to swallow more anger and hate towards that monster down into the ever-growing pool of hot rage inside of him.

He entered the study and at the unspoken command sat on the floor on his knees, back perfectly straight and hands folded neatly in his lap, head bowed forward towards the family's head alpha.

( _How he hated that display of weakness_.)

"Shigeru. You disobeyed me. Again." The disapproval was clear in the crisp tone. "An omega should always follow their alpha's order. Am I understood?"

Yahaba resisted the urge to fight back and yielded easily, muscles relaxed despite his inner screams. "Yes, Alpha." ( _Fuck you, asshole_.)

His father clicked with his tongue, picked up a pen and started to write - probably business related letters- while continuing his lecture.

"An omega should support his alpha by serving to his needs." ( _Who is ruled by his needs now, old fart?_ )

"Yes, Alpha."

"An omega should never undermine the authority of his alpha." ( _An alpha should have competence to back up that authority._ )

"Yes, Alpha."

"An omega should..." ( _Have you ever asked what the omega wants?_ )

 

He could no longer feel his legs by the time his father stopped, his homework still undone but planned out in his head, as his father let out a sigh and focused on him.

"I tolerated your choice of school and sport because an omega should be fit in mind and body to serve its purpose, but this smell of alpha around you makes you hardly desirable for anyone." Yahaba felt ice in his chest, struggling to keep his breath even and keeping every muscle in control. Normally a shower after practice was enough, but today's fight and the... - well, Kyoutani- his father's fine nose must have caught a whiff, which probably prompted him to continue his monologue.

"You are at a point where home schooling would suffice, should your future mate decide to educate you further." The older Yahaba got back to his papers and dismissed him after a while, the omegan son silent but glad to finally escape that room.

He ran up the stairs as quick and quiet as possible, grabbing his bag on the way and exhaling heavily as he closed his bedroom door.

"You know, you have to keep the door open at all times, Shigeru." His mother reminded him from outside the door and Yahaba only managed a rude gesture before she came in and mustered him sceptically. "Shower and make your homework. We can't let you neglect your duties." She spun around and left, leaving behind a blank looking son.

Yahaba went through the motions like a robot, not allowing himself to slip up even a fraction of a second till he went to bed. Only in the dark his eyes filled with angry tears and his fists gripped the sheets till his knuckles went white. ( _Father would sell him to the most valuable business partner without hesitation, like he had no say in the matter._ )

He thought of golden eyes and feral snarls, his face heating up with a small grin on his lips. ( _He said he'd earn it._ )

 

The next morning Yahaba felt a bit nervous as he unlocked the club room and let the first players in, his eyes searching for a familiar blonde though he knew Kyontani came ten minutes into practice on most days.

Today was no different, but instead of meandering to the end of the gym to practise serves, the wing spiker went over to Kindaichi (who went white, but still nodded to whatever their new ace was saying) and after Yahaba had managed to get everyone to work, they waved him over.

Kunimi greeted him with sleepy eyes and a nod towards Kyoutani. "He wants us to try different attack patterns together." Yahaba blinked. Behind the two underclassmen, the blonde met his eyes for a moment and huffed, lips turned downwards. "Well duh, without 4 of last year’s starting players, we need every fucking minute to get in sync."

This time, Yahaba wasn't the only one blinking owlishly at him. "The fuck you want?" Yahaba tried to hide his grin and shook his head. "Nothing. You heard the man, let's get to practice."

 

At lunch break the pack tended to meet up on the roof, so when the bell rung, Yahaba and Watari took their bentos and made their way out the classroom.

"Wait."

Kyoutani's gruff voice was muted, as if self-conscious, and the blonde looked a bit sourly as he gripped his own bento box a bit harder than strictly necessary. "Can I..." he made a sharp motion with his head, but Watari already beamed at him and assured him, that yes, he was a pack member and definitely allowed to join them for lunch.

As they opened the door to the roof, Yahaba could see Kyontani stiffen, but the alpha squared his shoulders and found a seat close to him, opening his bento to show a neatly made meal.

"Oh, Kyoutani-senpai that looks amazing." Kindachi tilted his head left and looked again. "But why the butterfly carrot?"

Kyoutani had the decency to blush (just a faint dust of pink on his ears, but Yahaba couldn't look away.) as he grumbled with a fond tone in his voice. "My sister wanted to help cooking, so I let her." Watari let out a slow whistle. "Dude, she got you wrapped around her finger."

They shared a good natured laugh, and as Yahaba met Kyoutani's gaze, he couldn't help but feel a bit like that carrot butterfly had made its way to HIS stomach.

He hated every minute of it.

 

It didn't take long for Yahaba's patience to snap and so they stood behind the gym, a fuming Yahaba staring down his scowling ace.

"What the hell is your deal? First you hate me, then you want to court me and now you decided to be buddy-buddy with the team? What are you doing?"

Kyoutani mumbled something under his breath. Yahaba simply raised an eyebrow. "...to get to know you."

Yahaba blinked, not really knowing how to answer.

"I know that stupid mask, I saw your wild side, but I think you are more than that. I want to get to know you."

Yahaba brushed his bangs out of his eyes and managed a small breathless laugh, raising his hand to entwine his long fingers with the spiker’s broader ones. ( _Not like his father. **Never** like his father_.)

"To think I pegged you to be nothing more than an aggressive idiot. You're right. Let's get to know each other." Kyoutani's ears were still red when they met up with the rest of the team, but the twinkle in Yahaba's eyes was worth it.

 

 

"...really?"

The two idiots in front of him blinked dumbly but continued to crowd him, hands grabbing towards his arms.

Yahaba clicked his tongue and threw Kyoutani (who tried to hide behind the next corner, but come on, that was _obvious_ ) an annoyed look, before he rolled his shoulders and greeted both offenders with a fist to the throat and a kick to the hip, leaving both sprawled on the floor as he stormed off, not even slowing down as Kyoutani joined him on the way to afternoon practice.

"Not gonna step in to protect me?" Yahaba couldn't help but ask, the alpha had made his intentions clear, yet he hadn't actively tried anything.

"Fuck no." came the grumbled answer, but he seemed to try again when Yahaba did not look satisfied.

"I like watching you fight. And those two were no match. So no, I won't butt in into fights you obviously win. But..." he fumbled a bit, but his eyes were solemn and never strayed from Yahaba's own.

"I've got your back. Never doubt that."

He stormed off the moment they entered the changing room, but that may have been to hide his blush. Yahaba allowed himself a little smile. He learned something new about Kyoutani every day.

 

The next day, he found out about Kyoutani's weekend job at the animal shelter when Matsukawa and Hanamaki tried to invite everyone to karaoke on sunday and the blonde declined because of his shift.

Yahaba mulled over this piece of information for the rest of the day, doodling cats and dogs between his math notes until afternoon practice.

Kyoutani hovered near the entrance while Yahaba locked their clubroom, obviously waiting for him so they could go home together.

Yahaba caught himself smiling softly at the sight, Kyoutani normally changed and bolted first, but today he waited -a bit impatient, but waiting nonetheless- without slinking into the shadows and the golden afternoon sun made him look softer around the edges, his frown less prominent and his eyes less harsh (but not less dangerous, at least to Yahaba's heart).

Yahaba was disgusted by himself.

Two days and his steely resolve crumbled away already. ( _Kyoutani is not like that_.)

Two days and a bit of nice guy Kyoutani made him turn into the kind of omega he never wanted to be. ( _Being an omega doesn't mean to be weak._ )

Kyoutani said nothing, opting to walk beside him in silence, not too close but not terribly far away either. When the crossroad where they had to part came into view, he stretched his arms over his head and casually asked: "You could visit the shelter with me someday."

Yahaba felt his shoulder relax with relief, glad that Kyoutani gave him a way out, absentmindly twisting a loose string on his school bag.

"Someday."

They parted ways eventually, without exchanging more words.

Yahaba never felt more like a loser.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yahaba's father is the worst. My precious boys T.T


	5. Pushing and waiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry! Life caught up with me again -.- I really need to manage my time better...  
> So back to those two, I rewatched season 2 and still love them to bits ><

It took another scolding of his father to push Shigeru towards the problem of what he dubbed The Stalemate™ and as he was biting his nails with nervous energy, he already regretted his choice. ( _The omega should await the next courting step, never initiate it. Am I understood, Shigeru?_ )

He shook his head and balled his fist to stop his habit, taking deep breaths as he checked the address again. Sure, the green lettered sign proclaimed “Animal Shelter”, but Miyagi had a lot of those, maybe it was the wrong one or maybe Kyoutani switched a shift or maybe… _maybe he was a coward who stalled_.

“Fuck stereotypes.” He ground out, finally setting himself in motion, his chin raised as he pushed through the door with even strides.

 

The interior was homely, with the distinct smell of fur and disinfectant, the sound of meowing and yipping soft but ever-present and innumerable photographs of animals and their presumably new owners upon white and green walls.

A middle aged lady set at the front desk and smiled at him when he approached.

“Good day, how can I help you?”

He caught himself fiddling with his bag strap and willed himself to stop, returning her easy smile with a tentative one, his eyes straying slightly to the corridors behind her.

“I’m looking for my friend, he volunteers here and I thought-“

The receptionist got round eyes and her smile stretched even more, a proud look on her face as she leaned over the desk.

“You’re here for Ken-chan?”

Shigeru fought down a mildly embarrassing blush and nodded sharply, but she did not seem to be deterred by his answer.

“He’s in the kennels, go left and you can’t miss him.”

He bowed slightly and wanted to thank her, but she waved him off.

“Just go. He waited nearly every Sunday; don’t let him wait any longer.”

He must have let his surprise show, because she giggled, a light and happy giggle of a young girl, not a motherly elder.

“Oh silly boy, just watch how he handles the dogs. Ken-chan is pretty straightforward, you know?”

In fact, he _did_ know.

But right now, his thought got jumbled again because of that caveman and there was only one way to solve this anyway. “Thank you for your advice, I will be going then.”

 

He found his way through the kennels just fine, carefully stepping around boxes accompanied by the existed barks of some dogs, trying to find a familiar head of faux blond hair with stripes.

Reluctant he sniffed the air lightly, but immediately regretted his decision. Normally he would search for the smell of dog and deodorant, with the underlying scent he couldn't define but associated purely with Kyotani, but in an animal shelter on a Sunday without training left him without much to go on and since he usually avoided the topic of smells altogether, he abandoned the idea without remorse.

Instead he listened out and felt smug when he heard the gruff voice of the wing spiker in the backyard. He snuck closer, intrigued to see Kyoutani unguarded for once.

The other teen was sitting cross-legged on the floor, pointedly not looking at a shivering dog in the corner. Upon inspection, the dog looked too thin and its fur was missing some patches, so Shigeru could guess its history just fine.

But instead of confronting or getting closer, the so called Mad Dog stayed rooted in place and talked softly under his breath. The setter strained his ears to make out words.

 

“- fighter aren’t you? Brave girl, you do so well.”

Shigeru blinked. And so did the dog, which still shivered, but scooted an inch closer.

“Smart, brave girl. You showed them all. Good girl.”

Shigeru pressed himself against the wall and nearly forgot to breathe as he watched the terrified dog scoot over to Kyoutani in baby steps. When it reached the wing spikers knee, it whined but did not touch him, shivering as it lowered its head to the floor.

“I know, girl. It’s hard. But you are so brave and I will be there when you decide to be brave again, okay?”

The dog whined and, when a sudden noise a few rows back broke out, scurried away again.

Kyoutani sighed, but stood up nonetheless, stopping mid step to turn his head towards the door where Shigeru was hiding.

The omega could pinpoint the exact moment his court mate recognized him, golden eyes widening with surprise and lighting up with hope as he nearly took a step closer, only to catch himself, remaining in place.

“Shigeru?”

His voice was laced with disbelief, but underneath lay something Shigeru did not feel ready to decipher yet. Instead he pulled away from the wall and stepped outside, ignoring his hammering heart and smiling nervously at his infuriating, soft-hearted idiot of a court mate, who looked at him as if he would start to laugh manically and vanish in shadows any second now.

Shigeru closed the distance between them and stopped an arm’s length away.

“I’m here.”

Kyoutani stared at him in wonder, catching himself and scowled to hide his embarrassment.

“Took you long enough, shithead.”

_Shigeru laughed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff for everyone, yay! Sadly, I can't leave it like that...yet. Those soft boys will get their happy end though, no worries!


End file.
